


Vita

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2015-05-13
Packaged: 2018-03-30 08:37:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3930205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven has a night out when the Gems are away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vita

The song finishes, the last few notes of Steven's voice hanging in the small, bright space of the stage he's currently in the middle of. Applause washes over him. Steven smiles and hops off the stool he was sitting on, setting his guitar down next to it. He disconnects himself from the audio system and steps off of the stage. Behind him, the MC announces the main act, someone Steven hasn't heard of before but is apparently touring the coast this summer. He slides between crowds of people he doesn't know to finally arrive at the bar, at the opposite end of the room. He sits down, and Jenny slides a beer into his hand. She's not a bartender - she's dating one of the bartenders, and he lets her serve beers whenever she visits him on his shifts. Steven offers his thanks before downing half the beer. It cools him off from being in the hot lights for the past half-hour.

Steven decides to stay for the main act - he has nothing better to do tonight as most of the Gems are out on a mission and won't be back until tomorrow. The set isn't terrible, though Steven notes his songs all have exactly the same structure, down to the weird half-final-chorus-half-fadeout thing he does with his voice at the end of every song. Still, at the end of his set he too gets a lively round of applause.

The stage hands quickly transform the stage, replacing the guitar amps with DJ equipment. Steven knows the DJ that headlines here on the weekends – they'll often talk over beers as the main act is playing and they sit backstage. He's a good guy, and he and Steven get along well enough. Steven doesn't particularly care for his type of music, though. It's too loud and repetitive. But he realizes he's half a dozen free beers in at this point, and the bar is still packed with people, mainly college-age kids that'd be his peers if he went to school.

He considers his options. He's too drunk to play video games or read effectively. Dad would probably be asleep. Connie would still be at community college, over an hour away by car, and he was in no way able to get there. Amethyst and Japser would be back at the Temple, and Amethyst said earlier that they were working on a 'secret project' while the rest of the Gems were gone on a mission until tomorrow morning. So in terms of socializing with people he knows, the odds of that happening were zero. The bar it is.

Steven finishes the beer in his hand, grabs another (that he pays for because he's starting to feel bad at the amount of free beer he's consumed at this point), and saunters into the crowd. A good portion of the crowd by the bar recognizes him from his set, congratulates him, offers him more free beers. He obliges to be polite and eases into the conversation. Most of these kids are from the state school that Connie's community college feeds into, and where Connie herself would be enrolled once she finished her time at the community college. They ask the usual questions: What's it like living in a beach down (Fine, slow when it's the off season, but it's a good lifestyle otherwise), what's there to do here (Steven rattles off a list of things, plus a couple secrets because he likes this group), what do you do outside of music (Steven is vague - 'odd jobs around the city' remains his favorite deflection).

The kids are friendly, and Steven likes them. They're warm and genuine and don't pepper him with question about himself or his music after the initial barrage. The conversation and the beers flow freely, and Steven lets himself drink more than he normally would. There's one girl, Danielle, that he gravitates towards. Danielle is quick-witted and sharp, and Steven is constantly leaning against the bar from laughing so hard. She's got black hair in a messy ponytail and is wearing short shorts and a tank-top she bought on the boardwalk and she's tiny. When she hops off the bar stool to prove how short she claims to be, she barely comes up to Steven's chest, and he stares down at her for a moment in disbelief. She sticks her tongue out at him, though, and they laugh it off before carrying on. They joke and talk about themselves - she's studying economics, though she plays guitar when she wants to decompress and take a break from school, and is envious that Steven gets to perform as often as he does. Steven's having a hard time hearing her since the music is in full swing, and they're having to shout just to hear each other. Eventually they give up and she takes him by the hand to the dance floor. Steven obliges, watching her hips swing as she dances her way through the crowd to find a decent spot. The alcohol has simplified his mind: She's attractive and cool and obviously into him, he's into her, they're both drunk, and the music isn't unbearable. Easy enough.

They're dancing and grinding and kissing before he realizes what's going on. She tastes like beer and the beach in his mouth, and Steven's having to lean over just to reach her. She's rewarding him for his efforts by playing with his hair and dragging her nails down his jawline and neck. After a few minutes of this, Steven pulls away. She looks worried for a second, but he takes her hand and guides her back to the bar. He buys a bottle of water, then leads her to the side of the DJ stage, behind the speakers. The bounder guarding the backstage door nods and smiles at him as he lets them in, his neon earplugs glowing in the lights of the dance floor.

Steven finds a storage room backstage and opens the door with a key on his keyring. She basically jumps on him as he opens the door. The bass of the DJ's music is thumping through the wall as she's ripping his clothes off. Soon they're both shirtless and she's pressed against a speaker. Steven's hands are massaging her chest and she makes a sound every time he touches her and Steven swears it's better than anything either he or the main act played earlier. She snakes her hands under his arms, undoing the belt in his jeans. The alcohol in his mind starts mixing with dopamine, and his vision grows hazy. His breathing is ragged and urgent and he braces himself against the shelves of audio equipment, riding the waves of sensation. He grunts, then slumps slightly against the wall and her when she's done. He hears a giggle, then feels his pants being pulled back up. She does his belt like she's wrapping a Christmas present, then kisses him on the cheek as they sit on top of an amplifier, her head leaning against his shoulder as they catch their breath and pass the bottle of water back and forth.

Steven takes a few minutes, then suggests that he return her to her friends. She agrees, finishes off the water bottle, and they sort through the pile of clothes on the floor, and dress themselves. They go back out on the dance floor. The music is slower now - the DJ is winding down, and Steven realizes they were backstage longer than he thought. They find her friends at the front of the bar. The group begs him to join them in some bar-hopping, but Steven declines - he's had enough for one night. They bid him farewell, and Danielle gives him a big hug and whispers in his ear about what a good time she had and wishes she were staying longer than tomorrow afternoon. He waves goodbye, heads back to the bar to pay his tab, then walks out. The cool nighttime air hits him in the chest, and Steven hasn't felt more comfortable in ages. He's wrapped in a blanket of dopamine and alcohol and the social high of good conversation. The path home is engraved in his mind, and he barely notices when the wood of the boardwalk gives way to sand.

It's dark in the beach house, and the creaking of the house settling echoes slightly. Steven sets his phone and wallet down on the kitchen counter before pouring himself a glass of water, flipping on a single light. The pale yellow light fills the apartment as best it can. He's sobering up, slowly, and probably won't have a hangover tomorrow, which is good. He suspects Garnet's going to put him through a rough physical training session once she gets back.

He hears the Temple door open. "Yo, Steven!" he hears.

"Hey, Amethyst." Steven turns to face her. She's got her hair in a ponytail that goes down to her knees and a black long-sleeve shirt and blue short shorts. It's a new look, one that she's been refining over the past five regenerations or so. "Where's Jasper?" Steven asks. He suddenly becomes aware of how much his words are slurring.

Amethyst whistles, hopping up on the counter. "Hoo boy, you are drunk. Mind if I join you? Jasper's being lame and brooding or whatever and doesn't want to work on our project."

"Yeah sure, I'm going to bed soon, though."

But Amethyst already has the fridge open and and a handle of vodka in her hand. She takes a long pull - Steven counts to twenty before she finally comes up for air. "Ahhh, that's the stuff," she says, coughing. She strolls over to the sofa and plops down on the center cushion. She pats the cushion next to the one she's occupying. "C'mere, dude."

Steven takes his glass of water and joins her, propping his feet up on the end table. "So, how was the show?" Amethyst asks, finger twirling her hair.

Steven shrugs. "It was alright. Packed. Met a lot of people."

"Ooh, did you?" The finger drops from Amethyst's hair, and even though the lights are mostly off Steven can see she's grinning with an evil glint in her eyes. "Anyone special?"

Steven nods, trying to hid his smile in a sip of water. "You could say that," he says.

Amethyst starts cackling, and Steven can see the alcohol hitting her in real time. "Dude, nice! What was her naaaaaaame?"

"Daniellllllle," Steven says, mocking her tone.

"Was she hot?"

"Very."

"What did she look like? Paint me a word picture."

Steven does, and Amethyst shapeshifts to match the description. By the end a purple, drunk Danielle is hanging off the edge of the sofa. "Wow," Amethyst says, looking down at herself and running her hands down her sides, "I am hot. Nice."

Amethyst releases herself, and she turns back into her default form. "Man, I'm glad I don't have boobs, though," she says, rubbing her chest, "Those things are weird."

"Nah, trust me, they're pretty great," Steven says, winking.

Amethyst punches him in the arm. "You dog."

They sit on the sofa for a while, talking about their day. By the end of Steven's recap of his bar adventures they're wrapped in a blanket and Steven's against one of the armrests. Amethyst is curled up in the space between Steven's body and the edge of the sofa.

"So she didn't say anything about your Gem?"

Steven shook his head. "She didn't. I don't even think she noticed it at all."

"Weird. You gonna call her?"

"Nah, I didn't get her number. I don't think I'll see her again."

"Aww. She sounds fun, though. Fun and smart. And knows how to use her mouth."

Steven nudges her, and she laughs. "Kidding. Though really, man, no second date?"

"Was I supposed to have asked her out? She lives three hours away and I don't have a car."

"Well, yeah, but aren't humans supposed to, y'know, date and stuff? You haven't really been doing that."

Steven shrugs. "Yeah, but I dunno. Not really something I'm thinking about right now. I've got you guys and Connie and Dad and the rest of the gang in Beach City."

"That's true." Amethyst snuggles more deeply into the crook of Steven's arm. "Well, you should date at some point though. Make some girl happy."

"Yeah, and then I'll get married and have lots of little Steven babies running around the Temple."

Amethyst gags at that. "Eww, no. You know how much of a pain it was to take care of just you? How many times Pearl and Garnet made me change your diaper because 'they couldn't handle it'?"

"Too many?"

"Too many! Plus, you humans aren't interesting for years. You just sit there and eat and poop and repeat what other people say. Don't get me wrong, you're cool and all now, but I'm not doing that again."

Steven laughs. "Fine, no babies. But maybe a girl."

"Good. And good luck finding someone that doesn't think this," she wiggles her butt against Steven's gem, "is, like, super weird."

Steven rolls his eyes. "I'll pull my shield out and push you off the sofa with it."

Amethyst looks over her shoulder and glares at him. "You wouldn't."

Steven concedes. "Nah, that's an abuse of Gem powers, right? Pearl wouldn't let me hear the end of it."

Amethyst laughs. "Yeah, true."

They talk more for what feels like hours, at some point passing out on the couch. Steven awakens to the sound of the Warp Pad activating. Amethyst groans and covers her head with the blanket, shielding herself from the intrusive light of the Pad. "Too early," she says.

"Are you hungover?" Steven asks, his voice low from the alcohol from the night before. His head is fine, though his mouth is dry.

"Nah, just tired."

The Pad finishes transporting the Gems, and Garnet, Peridot, Pearl, and Lapis appear. Pearl and Peridot are bickering about some tech thing, Lapis and Garnet say hi to Steven and Amethyst. Garnet tells Steven that they went grocery shopping yesterday, so there should be eggs and sausage in the kitchen. Steven agrees that that sounds like an excellent idea, and sets to work.

As he cooks, the Gems regale him with tales of their adventure. Apparently they were underwater again, hence Lapis' going along, but ran into some trouble with a couple of Gem monsters. Jasper steps out of her room near the end of the recap, and Steven slides her a plate of extra sausages he made. Jasper takes the sausages with thanks - her affinity for meats was her one exception to not eating, and Steven wanted to be on Jasper's good side as often as possible.

Steven looks around the room at the six Gems gathered, now in various conversations: Garnet is already starting to describe the next mission to Amethyst and Jasper, something that sounded complicated and was going to require all seven of them. Peridot and Pearl had resumed their disagreement, and Lapis had come over to help Steven with the dishes. It's all so familiar and feels like life that as he starts scrubbing the pan he used to cook the sausages, a smile creeps over him.

"What are you smiling about?" Lapis asks him.

"Ah, nothing. Just... things are good now. And I'm happy."

"That's good." Lapis pulls the water off of her hands and tosses it down the sink drain before walking to her room. The rest of the Gems soon disperse, heading either to their room or the beach. Garnet's the last one.

"You feeling up for some training?" Garnet asks, arms crossed and leaning against the front door.

"Always," Steven responds. He changes into new clothes, brushes his teeth, and jogs down to the beach, where Garnet is waiting for him. Amethyst and Pearl have come to watch and assist.

Garnet's gauntlets materialize on her hands. She raises them to her face. "Ready?"

Steven's shield appears in front of him in a flurry of light. The weight feels familiar in his hand, and he squats slightly, bracing himself. "Bring it," he says.

**Author's Note:**

> Headcannon: Steven and Amethyst's bro-based relationship continues as Steven gets older. 
> 
> I've been at Rehobeth beach the past few days, and most of this was written when I was drunk (including these notes). There isn't really a point to the story, it's just a snapshot of what I imagine older Steven to be. 
> 
> Leave a comment if you can - this is in a different style than other stories I've written and I want as much feedback as possible.


End file.
